My hearts and prayers go out to the families of those who perished because of Hurricane Sandy. The hurricane and its aftermath may end up costing at least $50 billion dollars in damage. In addition, the media is reporting that at least 50 people lost their lives due to this storm.
Sandy knocked offline popular websites Gawker, Huffington Post, and Deadspin. At this point, it is too early to fully calculate all of the damage done from this horrific storm. In the comming days, weeks, and months there may be a better assessment of how this storm has affected those living the path and wake of Sandy.
I could discuss the importance of utilizing the cloud to back up data, or how social media can save lives. However, as a former resident of New York City and one who became homeless after 9/11, I understand now is not the right time to talk about how social media or other digital technologies can be utilized to help lessen the effects of future calamities.
The bottom line is that New York City is the toughest city in the world and it will get through this and become stronger by doing so. The lessons learned from this terrible tragedy may help avert some of the same problems from happening again in the future.
To learn more about these issues you may contact me at www.shearlaw.com.
Copyright 2012 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Does Facebook Have A Problem With Ads For Counterfeit Merchandise?
Facebook is scheduled to release its earnings tomorrow. Will Facebook meet or beat market expectations? I don't want to speculate on its earnings report, but has Facebook's revenues been manipulated by ads for counterfeit merchandise?
According to CBS News, the company makes about $5 a year on each user. Is this number inflated due to advertising revenue received from companies who are hawking counterfeit merchandise on Facebook?
Does Facebook have a Google pharma ad problem on its hand? In 2011, Google agreed to pay a $500 million dollar fine to avoid prosecution due to displaying advertisements from Canadian pharmacies which illegally sold prescription drugs to American consumers. An important question in the Google case was did it intentionally turn a blind eye to the matter? Is Facebook intentionally turning a blind eye regarding advertising for counterfeit merchandise on its platform?
To learn more about these issues you may contact me at www.shearlaw.com.
Copyright 2012 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.
According to CBS News, the company makes about $5 a year on each user. Is this number inflated due to advertising revenue received from companies who are hawking counterfeit merchandise on Facebook?
Does Facebook have a Google pharma ad problem on its hand? In 2011, Google agreed to pay a $500 million dollar fine to avoid prosecution due to displaying advertisements from Canadian pharmacies which illegally sold prescription drugs to American consumers. An important question in the Google case was did it intentionally turn a blind eye to the matter? Is Facebook intentionally turning a blind eye regarding advertising for counterfeit merchandise on its platform?
To learn more about these issues you may contact me at www.shearlaw.com.
Copyright 2012 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.
Monday, October 15, 2012
European Union May Require Google To Change Its Privacy Policies
According to Reuters, the European Union has sent Google a letter demanding changes to Google's new privacy policy to better protect the personal data of its users. The Guardian is reporting that Google may be told on Tuesday to revisit the controversial changes introduced in March.
On January 24, 2012, Google announced that as of March 1, 2012, it would revamp its privacy policies. At the time of its announcement, Google stated that it had more than 70 privacy policies and that it is "rolling out a new main privacy policy that covers the majority of our products and explains what information we collect, and how we use it, in a much more readable way. While we’ve had to keep a handful of separate privacy notices for legal and other reasons, we’re consolidating more than 60 into our main Privacy Policy." .... "Our new Privacy Policy makes clear that, if you’re signed in, we may combine information you've provided from one service with information from other services."
Streamlining almost 70 privacy policies into 1 policy is much easier for compliance and legal purposes since it means that Google will only have to keep abreast of 1 uniform policy instead of more than 60. In other words, the change may decrease legal and compliance costs by millions of dollars per year. The new Privacy Policy states that Google may combine all of its users' information into one profile that may enhance its data mining capabilities which may increase its advertising revenues by hundreds of millions of dollars per year. Of Google's $37.9 billion in 2011 revenue, 96 percent came from advertising.
Before Google's new privacy policy went into effect, France's data protection authority, the CNIL, told Google in a letter dated February 27, 2012 that it would lead a Europe-wide investigation of the new policy. Soon after Google implemented the changes there was an uproar about the matter.
Since Google refused to heed the EU's prior warnings that changing its privacy policies may violate data protection laws it would not surprise me if the CNIL harshly rebukes Google and "recommends" it change its privacy policies and is "asked" to better inform its users on how it utilizes their personal data. However, until the decison is made public it would be premature to speculate how this may affect Google and its advertising clients.
To learn more about these issues you may contact me at www.shearlaw.com.
Copyright 2012 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC All rights reserved.
On January 24, 2012, Google announced that as of March 1, 2012, it would revamp its privacy policies. At the time of its announcement, Google stated that it had more than 70 privacy policies and that it is "rolling out a new main privacy policy that covers the majority of our products and explains what information we collect, and how we use it, in a much more readable way. While we’ve had to keep a handful of separate privacy notices for legal and other reasons, we’re consolidating more than 60 into our main Privacy Policy." .... "Our new Privacy Policy makes clear that, if you’re signed in, we may combine information you've provided from one service with information from other services."
Streamlining almost 70 privacy policies into 1 policy is much easier for compliance and legal purposes since it means that Google will only have to keep abreast of 1 uniform policy instead of more than 60. In other words, the change may decrease legal and compliance costs by millions of dollars per year. The new Privacy Policy states that Google may combine all of its users' information into one profile that may enhance its data mining capabilities which may increase its advertising revenues by hundreds of millions of dollars per year. Of Google's $37.9 billion in 2011 revenue, 96 percent came from advertising.
Before Google's new privacy policy went into effect, France's data protection authority, the CNIL, told Google in a letter dated February 27, 2012 that it would lead a Europe-wide investigation of the new policy. Soon after Google implemented the changes there was an uproar about the matter.
Since Google refused to heed the EU's prior warnings that changing its privacy policies may violate data protection laws it would not surprise me if the CNIL harshly rebukes Google and "recommends" it change its privacy policies and is "asked" to better inform its users on how it utilizes their personal data. However, until the decison is made public it would be premature to speculate how this may affect Google and its advertising clients.
To learn more about these issues you may contact me at www.shearlaw.com.
Copyright 2012 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC All rights reserved.
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